A Washington woman was looking through her grandson’s journal Monday night when she found something extremely disturbing.
Investigators say the teen wrote: “I’m preparing myself for the school shooting. I can’t wait. My aim has gotten much more accurate … I can’t wait to walk into that class and blow all those f****** away.”
By Tuesday morning, she called police. Her grandson was in jail on attempted murder charges by Tuesday evening.
Based on his journal entries, police believe 18-year-old Joshua O’Connor was planning to shoot students at ACES Alternative High School, which he attended in Everett, Washington.
His grandmother is being hailed for potentially sparing the school from a tragedy like the shooting that took place just a day later in Florida.
O’Connor had his first appearance in court Wednesday and his bail was set at $5 million. He did not enter a plea.
“I need to get the biggest fatality number I possibly can,” he wrote, according to investigators. “I need to make this count.”
Investigators said O’Connor wasn’t sure whether to carry out his plan at ACES High School or Kamiak High School, which are about 5 miles apart. He wrote in his journal that he made the decision by flipping a coin, they said.
Shocked and alarmed, O’Connor’s grandmother found a semiautomatic rifle inside her grandson’s guitar case. She told police her grandson recently purchased inert grenades he wanted to fill with black powder.
It appeared to her, court documents say, that he was close to executing his plan.
“It is important to remain observant about odd or peculiar behaviors with our children, or with fellow students,” said Officer Aaron Snell, an Everett police spokesman. “In Everett, we were fortunate enough that a family member believed there were credible threats and contacted law enforcement for further investigation.